PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (Nov. 6, 2018) – Peter Kuest didn’t drop one shot Tuesday at Poppy Hills as his team increased a 10-shot lead to a 14-shot lead. Kuest, who opened the St. Mary’s Invitational on Monday with a 10-under 61, followed it with a 2-under 69 and still leads by seven.

His efforts have gone a long way in helping BYU chase a season-ending victory.

BYU is now 19 under after 36 holes at Poppy Hills, the only team double-digits under par. The Cougars posted a 6-under 278 on Tuesday that was the third-best team score on the board. Pepperdine, at 5 under, is second while Arizona, at 3 under, is third. USC, who rebounded from an opening round of 290 with a second-round 8-under 276, is fourth.

"The guys played really great golf," BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank said. "We need to eliminate our poor misses and continue to make putts and we will have another great score tomorrow."

Indeed, the rest of the Cougar lineup looks strong, too. Austin Banz had back-to-back rounds of 2-under 69 and sits in third. Rhett Rasmussen and Chad Hardy are tied for 11th at 1 under. Hardy posted 70 on Thursday, a score matched by Carson Lundell. The Cougars threw out Rasmussen’s even-par 71.

BYU is chasing its second win this season after opening the fall with a victory at the William H. Tucker.